Posted on 03/05/2009 9:23:17 AM PST by SolidWood
Michael Steele should resign as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, according to a committee member from North Carolina.
In an e-mail to fellow RNC members obtained by The Hill, Dr. Ada Fisher, North Carolina's national committeewoman, said Steele is "eroding confidence" in the GOP and that members of his transition team should encourage him to step aside. Fisher added Steele's personal e-mail address to the e-mail.
"I don't want to hear anymore [sic] language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn't going to win us any votes and makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish," Fisher wrote.
Fisher, who is one of three black members of the national committee, backed South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, whom Steele edged out in the final round of voting to win the chairmanship in late January. She has voiced repeated opposition to Steele, sending dozens of e-mails to committee members even after Steele won election slamming him for any number of chips that have fallen awry.
Fishers call for Steeles resignation comes amid growing frustration in the GOP that the new chairmans repeated gaffes are hurting the party.
It remains unclear just how much trouble Steele may be in with his own membership. While several RNC members have told The Hill that Steele remains popular with their bases, Washington-based strategists are grumbling, an attitude that is slowly filtering down to the states.
Steele appeared over the weekend on Hughley's CNN show, where he fought back against the assertion that radio host Rush Limbaugh was the "de facto leader" of the Republican Party. Steele said he himself was the de facto leader and called Limbaugh an entertainer whose program's content was "incendiary" and "ugly."
On Monday, Limbaugh shot back, saying on his show that Steele was not the leader of the party and that many conservatives would "hang up" when Steele's RNC came calling for contributions.
"Limbaugh has already promised that 'His Conservatives' won't be giving to the RNC. I would suggest to you that that is a real bet," Fisher wrote. "If we can't raise money and continue to allow the alienation of the few varifiable [sic] red states remaining, we are foolish."
Steele later said he had reached out to Limbaugh to clarify his remarks, insisting he meant no offense. But the incident elicited crowing from Democrats, who for weeks have pursued a strategy seemingly designed to elevate Limbaugh to the front of the GOP line. Democrats would enjoy contrasting themselves with Limbaugh's assertion that he wants to see President Obama's economic policies fail.
Calling the Limbaugh-Steele clash a "Republican Horror Show," Fisher expressed what some other GOP strategists have until now only said privately: "I have never seen such ineptness in our GOP leadership," Fisher wrote. "And I though we handled the 2008 elections very poorly."
Fisher could not be reached for comment Thursday morning, while the RNC did not immediately have comment on her letter.
Red in Blue PA calls on Steele to quit also!
Just what Obama and the Democrats want: Republicans to shoot their own.
Nice.
Wow. That was fast! I think Steele needs a bit more time, honestly. He slipped, but he seems to be coming around.
I will second that....
Oh, come on. Give the guy more than a month. The organization clearly needs to be shaken up a bit. His resigning would do nothing but cost us another several months of bad media coverage.
This is ridiculous, imho.
Did you see his poition on guns?
Or how he wants the RNC to be more “hip-hop” like?
Or the many loony things he has said?
He is a disgrace.
And that is being kind.
Congratulations to Dr. Ada Fisher!
Ah, yes. The GOP, also known as the “Circular Firing Squad,” takes up positions.
Enough to turn me into a...
Naw, can’t go there...yet.
WHAT? are you kidding me....THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE DEMS WANT!!! DIVIDE AND CONQUER
We need to sort this all out ASAP otherwise we are truly in a lot of hot water for 2010, however badly Obama performs.
Ada Fisher for RNC chair.
Let’s see...spoke in support of assault weapon ban, nodded at nazi comment, dissed conservative ideas...
BYE!
This is ridiculous. Steele was as misquoted and set up as Rush was. These Republicans need to stop taking the bait and attacking Steele. This is exactly what Carville, Begala and Rahm Emanuel contrived.
“Limbaugh has already promised that ‘His Conservatives’ won’t be giving to the RNC...”
Rush did not say that..only that he was afraid that conservatives would not continue giving.
So you don’t see a problem with Steele supporting the AWB or nodding in agreement that the RNC was full of Nazis? Quite some standards you have there.
Exactly. This is insanity, and playing right into the RAT's hands...
No room for ANY error, I guess. Some in the RNC aren’t a particularly forgiving bunch.
You're the "disgrace".
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